Last week Eurogamer posted a preview of the PC version of Ubisoft's upcoming Heroes of Might and Magic V, the latest in the fantasy strategy series. HoMM V introduces 3D gameplay and a new world with a host of unique heroes and units to send into battle.

Looking at this preview incarnation of the game, we find it familiar, halfway between Starcraft and Magic the Gathering, with a turn-based split-level world. Your heroes (accompanied by an army consisting of a certain number of stacked soldiers and various war machines) travel the map collecting minions and resources, and claiming buildings and cities. There's the traditional slightly-awkward mechanic of telling your hero to move or attack, followed by a bash on the space bar to execute your order; it feels like something of a throwback when you don't get an instant response to your diktat. Then you remember it's a turn-based strategy game and all becomes clear; this is designed for multiplayer.Advertisement

When you encounter an enemy army, the map zooms into an eight-by-ten grid-based battlefield where your hero and his or her minions manoeuvre and battle. You move your units so that they strike or shoot your enemy while your general (in a nod to Heroes III) sits back from the battlefield, casting spells and causing small amounts of damage anywhere on the battlefield. Like Magic the Gathering, as your levels go up and your armies expand, battles get increasingly complex, Heroes and their magic become all the time more potent. After you win a battle, your hero gets experience and gets to level up and expand their range of powers. Then you can move some more heroes, gather more troops and hit the End Turn button to give your opponent(s) a go.